Kolkata: Rabindranath Tagore’s “sanctum of serenity,” Santiniketan, which encapsulates the poet’s vision of an educational sanctuary transcending religious and regional confines, earned its official designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site on Sunday — India’s 41st and Bengal’s fifth.
The esteemed International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), during its 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, took the historic decision to include Santiniketan in this exclusive roster. Remarkably, this marked the committee’s first gathering since the global pandemic’s onset in 2020.
The odyssey to secure Unesco acclaim for Santiniketan, inaugurated in 1901, commenced over a decade ago when restoration maestro Abha Narain Lambah and conservation virtuoso Manish Chakraborti jointly undertook the arduous task of crafting the initial dossier for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). After a lull, the initiative regained momentum in 2021 when ASI implored Abha Narain Lambah to finalize the dossier within a mere ten-day span.
Lambah conveyed, “Santiniketan epitomizes the concrete embodiment of an educational and artistic community’s rendezvous with pan-Asian modernity. It represents a modernity that doesn’t look to the West, but rather, the East, embodying a sustainable architecture that holds even greater relevance today than it did a century ago.”
She underscored Santiniketan’s exceptional attributes, including its eclectic amalgamation of influences, meticulous reverence for local traditions, and the dissolution of boundaries between diverse disciplines, traditions, and modernity.
Prime Minister Modi led the nation in jubilation, stating, “Delighted that Santiniketan, an embodiment of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s vision and India’s rich cultural heritage, has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is a proud moment for all Indians.”
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed her elation, recognizing Bengal’s pride in Santiniketan and commending the government’s recent strides in enhancing its infrastructure. She tweeted, “Kudos to all who love Bengal, Tagore, and his messages of fraternity.”
Union junior external affairs and culture minister Meenakshi Lekhi celebrated the Unesco distinction on social media, dedicating it to PM Modi’s visionary leadership in championing India’s tangible heritage.
Ashok Mahato, the acting registrar of Visva-Bharati, celebrated the accolade as a momentous day for Santiniketan and conveyed gratitude to the PM, the culture ministry, and ASI. He remarked, “This will pave the way for comprehensive preservation of the ideals, the heritage of the unique art, craft, music, architecture, and environment of Santiniketan.”
Both the Trinamool Congress and BJP welcomed this development. TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee stated, “An immensely proud moment for all citizens of our great nation and Bengalis around the world.” State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar echoed, “A proud moment for every Indian as Santiniketan, the name that resonates with knowledge and enlightenment, finds its place on the Unesco World Heritage List.”
